The GnATTERbox

For discussion of the issues faced when building a model or layout - how to replicate wood, what glues to use, exactly how much weathering can a Gnat take, a good source of detailing accessories - you get the picture, I'm sure.

All very good advice indeed. Just for the record - there isn't a scalpel blade within 20 yards of the scene of operations. The chisel was held with the work rotating towards me, so that the blade would be deflected down into the WorkMate. I wore goggles and a dust mask.

Progress continues at my usual slow pace. The discs have been sanded and refined, and the holes for the bolts filled in. The air tank sits on the chassis nicely.

Side view - the ends are just push-fits into the tube at the moment. When they're glued in I'll make weld lines around the join to fill any gaps.

Front view. I filled the bolt holes with pieces of tube - a 4mm od piece first, then a tight-fitting piece inside that, and finally filled the small hole with a bit of plastic rod. The rod is green, which is why it shows up. You can also see my use of Tippex as filler for small marks.

Rear view - I used the two sizes of tube, but left them to form the fitting for the air pressure gauge. The photo also shows where I need to do a bit more sanding on the edge of the rear end

I had to trim the bottom of the rear dome to sit on the motor unit box, and I hope to disguise that join with the air motor and fittings. Next job is the air motor.

I've got hold of some Mr. Surfacer 1000 spray, which I'll use on the ends of the tank to smooth out any remaining blemishes.

Gerry, David - thank you for your kind comments. This build is a little bit different to my usual, make-it-up-as-I-go-along construction, but this prototype is one I've had an itch to build ever since I first saw photos of it. According to the link to the photos and plan it was built for gauges down to 18", so not too much imagineering to make it 15" - indeed, I've built the body to the plan given. The air motor is developing nicely, too.

David - I thought I hadn't seen postings from you for a while - have you got some ideas for new critters ready to unveil - it's always a pleasure to see what you produce.

Progress continues - slowly. As I think I've mentioned elsewhere I've been fiddling with little bits of plasticard again - this time on the air motor. It measures 25mmx15mmx15mm.

This view of the motor shows the cylinder end - five cylinder heads arranged radially. I think the projection on the extreme left is the 'exhaust' - the used-up compressed air has to get out of the motor somewhere, and there is a hole in the frame in line with it.

The other end. I guess the lever in the middle controls some kind of gearbox - though not forward and reverse. It's chain & sprocket drive (which I'm not modelling) to the wheels from just under this point, so a bit like bike gears??

I've had to cut back the rear of the motor unit because the Bachmann mech comes back into the space, but I hope this won't be too apparent.

I've also been working on the regulator, for want of a better term - it controls which side of the motor the air goes to, and hence controls the direction of travel and the speed. It measures 15mm by 5mm, and is made up of 13 tiny bits of plasticard

Very impressive Bill, it certainly looks the part, though I dont pretend to understand how these air engines worked Takes me back a long way seeing the biro used for the centre of a radial engine, have not built a model of a plane for more years than I care to remember I hope most of the detail you are putting into this will still be visable once there is a figure in the cab

Many thanks for the kind comments chaps. I think the motor looks a bit rough in the photos, but they are 5 times the size of the real thing

Yes Steve, a piece of a Biro is present! Also bits from a plastic pencil - I used lengths of that for the pipes between the buildings in Wood Brothers, and bits have appeared in other things, too. PlasticWeld works well with the plastic they're made from.

The regulator has proved to be too long, so I've had to cut it down by 5mm - but still 13 pieces. When will this madness end ....

Bill - really great work on your Eimco. You've captured the overall proportions nicely and are doing more detail than I did on my 7/8" version.

I'm one of the modelers on the SE Lounge that you referenced at the beginning of your build thread - this is what a more or less finished one looks like. I've seen a two footer in person - they are really small and easily imagined down to 15".

Bilco wrote: It measures 15mm by 5mm, and is made up of 13 tiny bits of plasticard

Sounds fiddly, just try not to sneeze while you're working on it...

Seriously it's coming on very well, nice mechanical look and should look great painted. One thing that strikes me is that your nuts look hexagonal, where I tend to cheat and just use slices of round rod - cutting hex bits that size must be very fiddly indeed unless you know something I don't

Chrisp - thanks for the photo of your completed model - it looks great. Those postings on the 7/8ths have been a source of inspiration for my effort. I recognize your model from your avatar - nice to see it full size!

Ian - yes, I cheat (see my strap line) - I cut little slices of hexagonal plastic rod! Plastruct ref 90873, 1mm styrene hex rod, cat no MRX-40. The trick is keeping the tiny pieces in a box, or they get lost - especially if you sneeze, then they get blown into a black hole, aka the carpet.

Gavin - that looks a bit of a bruiser - and all those rivets! As Chrisp says, the Eimco is small and, in my opinion, rather dainty (if you can call a critter that).

The town of Lead (pronounced Leed) in South Dakota, not far from the famous cowboy town of Deadwood, was the home of the Homestake Mining Co. They ran an extensive 22" gauge system, starting with two steam locos, before going to compressed air.

I see it's coming up 3 weeks since my last post on this project. As those of you who have read of my past painting travails will expect, it's this aspect of the build which has been keeping my fund of expletives flowing.

The white Mr Surfacer 1000 is less a filler than a primer. The first coats just showed up flaws which had to be filled and sanded, not helped by the pieces falling off the painting stand just after a coat had been put on, so they were nice and sticky and picked up lots of bits

I had intended to paint it with Railmatch BR warning panel yellow - I started with an old can found in the back of the garage, which proceeded to spray a very thin, runny gloop onto the frames, despite vigorous shaking of the can. Having wiped the worst off and rubbed the frames down I bought a nice new can, but decided that the yellow was too egg-yolky. I had seen some interesting spray cans of acrylic paint in an art shop in Oxford, so decided to try that. The can is 400ml, and cost £4.95 - special offer (means no-one is buying it). The pressure is lower than the usual spray, but the paint covers well. On the down side, it takes a long time to dry - it seems to remain 'sticky' for a couple of days. Also, perhaps because of the low pressure, the coat is a bit orange-peely. The yellow is a shade lemony, too - all very fruity.

The results so far:

Now to add to the angst - weathering. I was in Howes model shop recently and saw some stuff called Modelmates Weathering Liquid. This is a coloured ink, for want of a better word, that is water soluble and can be thinned to achieve varying shades. You can work it with damp cotton buds or rag after application to get different effects. I've got Mud Brown, Rusty Red and Slate Grey, and I'm going to try it out on some test pieces before it gets anywhere near the model - hours of fun.

Just tuck right in, Henrik! That weathering article is very interesting, Ian - I've seen the technique of using spots of oil paint in different colours and brushed out very thinly on the MiG website for military modellers. I shall do some experimenting, I think.